Akai S20

Akai's S20 Stereo Phrase Sampler starts out looking like a table-top
version of the lackluster S01. Major
improvements include STEREO input and outputs and far greater memory
expansion (up to 17 MB) and of course, the sequencer. The standard 1 MB
can sample between 7 to 56 seconds. Upgrading to 17 MB lets you sample
from 131 seconds (Stereo 32kHz) to 1048 seconds (Mono 8kHz)! The S20 is
a budget desktop phrase sampler targeted towards DJs and home project
studios; and the S20 offers excellent value for the price.

An onboard 3.5 inch high density floppy disk drive allows for samples to
be interchanged with higher-end Akai samplers or loaded onto a computer
for further editing. There are some caveats, however, and these include
absolutely no onboard effects whatsoever and a rather poor built-in
sequencer. It is also worth noting that the unit uses RCA jacks instead
of 1/4 inch stereo plugs, which may be useful to some and irritating to
others. Nonetheless, pair the S20 up with a decent sequencer and an
outboard effects box or filter (if desired) and you've got a nice,
cheap, and functional little sampler.

Related Forum Topics

so I just picked up this aka ax60 (put some nice wood side panels on it as well) but anyway a few keys, mostly C and D keep coming in and out but mostly just stay out. when I use a midi keyb... | Read more...

... very limited, and I can only find hard evidence of six disks for the S900 actually made by Akai. They are as follows: Operating System (OS) 4.0 Operating System (OS) 2.0 Akai S900 Operation ... | Read more...

... myself a little frustrated by some who have said the notion of feeding samples into the AKAI VX90 (or AX73) from the S900/950 over the infamous 13-pin interface is not worth the hassle ... | Read more...

I got an S900 from ebay. It powers on with OS 1.2c chips installed. It locks up if Rec or Edit Sample buttons are pressed. I re-seated all connectors and removable chips. It passes audio fro... | Read more...